• Where can I purchase MASLEY™ Gloves?
• What are “Technical” Gloves?
• Why is FIT so important?
• How do I choose the right glove?
• How do I choose the proper glove size?
• Why are the gloves Made in the USA?
• Why do these gloves cost more than Traditional Military Gloves?
• If I am buying for a large group of people, will reducing the number of glove sizes available to my team reduce the logistics workload?

MASLEY™ Gloves can be purchased directly from MASLEY Enterprises Inc. Also they can be purchased under the GSA contract No. GS-07F-0425M. Find out How to Order.

Gloves come in all different materials, colors, sizes and pattern shapes. The word “technical” is used to describe gloves that claim to have certain levels of performance and design properties. MASLEY™ gloves are designed to have the performance properties noted in the claims.

In addition to stated performance properties, MASLEY™ Gloves are designed and manufactured so that you will actually be able to keep the gloves on your hands while performing most tasks and completing your mission. MASLEY gloves are designed and made to FIT.

It has been learned many times over that users will select a well fitting glove over a poor fitting but more appropriate technical glove.

An example case of this is the overwhelming use of the Military Flyer’s style of glove. This glove is designed for the tactility required of pilots and it works well for that end use. However, in addition to being used by pilots, it is used by crew members, infantry, paratroopers and mechanics. Unfortunately, these other end users have learned that the stitching on the Flyers glove fingertips tears easily and quickly when exposed to abrasion. Anywhere from 2 minutes, 2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 months is the common feedback for durability. However, these other end users still buy extra pairs of the Flyers glove to carry with them because it offers a better fit than the other issued gloves.

With the importance of fit in mind, MASLEY™ Gloves are designed to be able to keep on your hands while performing your mission. The Fit is a big part of the solution!

The Fit of the glove is based on the pattern sizing, material dimensional properties, the skill of the tailors and the attention to quality control during manufacturing. With the Fit of the glove taken care of, the MASLEY™ Gloves then offer technical performance properties based on the performance properties of the material and finished glove construction.

See the HANDLOGIC^® Glove Sizing System for more information.

Choosing the proper hand wear protection is difficult. Often it involves a compromise between several categories of performance properties.

• Dexterity/Tactility/Fit
  • Physical Protection
    • Durability
      • Warmth and/or Coolness
        • Uniform Look

When selecting hand wear protection it is important to know what performance properties are required to make the glove “functional” in the intended end use. The term functionality is used to define the main feature of the glove that makes it fit for the task. Examples are noted below.

• Flyers Glove for Pilots – Tactility for operating controls and flame resistant back for flash fires.
• Light Duty Glove – Durable for carrying and hauling large objects.
• Mittens Insulated – Warmth for sedentary activity and/or non-combative use.
• Structural Fire Fighting Gloves – Flame, heat, cut & puncture resistance to operate relatively large size tools in buildings.

All of the gloves mentioned above perform well for one or two performance categories. Compromises have been made in the other performance categories. For help in choosing the right glove for your end use, please contact us.

MASLEY™ Gloves utilize the unique HANDLOGIC^® Glove Sizing System for selecting the proper glove size for best fit and tactility. This is the only glove sizing system that allows you to select the glove size based on the following two important hand measurements – Index Finger Length and Palm Width. Traditional glove sizes rely mainly on the palm width measurement or palm circumference. Unfortunately, this does not account for the different finger lengths among individuals with the given palm width. See the Hand Sizing Tool for measuring your own hand.

The gloves are made in the USA because this is where the technology for making the gloves originated and we have the skilled labor and equipment to make them here. Secondly, all materials and labor are from the USA to comply with the Buy-American Act also known as the Berry Amendment.

Before answering this question we want to recognize that most people do not care how difficult and costly is it is to make a product. The important point they care about is receiving the most performance value for their money. We agree with this philosophy as do the thousands of satisfied users currently wearing the MASLEY™ Gloves.

With that being said, there are some who like to have details about cost to help them justify a purchase. We are proud to provide the following.

The traditional military gloves were developed with an emphasis on minimizing labor time. Simplistic patterns are utilized and often only one material type is used for a given glove style. Unfortunately, you often get what you pay for. See Common Problems with Traditional Military Hand Wear. A comparison of the complexity of the design between Traditional Gloves vs. MASLEY™ Gloves is listed below.

Complexity of Design:
Comparison of Patterns and Materials

Quantity purchased also impacts the price per pair.
Military gloves are often purchased in quantities of 20,000 to 100,000+ pairs per contract order. When MASLEY™ Gloves are purchased in these quantities, there are economies of scale and the price goes down as well.

Quality Control Practice impacts the price per pair:
There is Quality Control (QC) to meet a Military Specification and there is quality control to make sure a glove fits well. The first type of QC is measurable and is often defined in terms of glove dimensions meeting a specified length, width, etc. However, this does not mean the glove feels good or even fits correctly.

MASLEY Enterprises Inc. puts an emphasis on not only the measurable specifications but also the second, not so easily measured quality of good fit and feel. We reward the skilled workers who determine when some gloves require extra attention to achieve a proper fit and feel.

Respect for Skilled Workers impacts the price per pair.
Constructing a pair of gloves requires excellent sewing skills and additional labor for forming the glove. (If you don’t believe this, try sewing a pair yourself sometime.) To provide a quality product to you the customer, we hire skilled workers who perfect their craft on a daily basis year after year.

Without giving away too much confidential information, we can reveal that it takes over an hour to make (a pair of) the UTILITY-A1™ Gloves. And this glove style is over 4 times more complex than the standard issue light duty glove.

If you respect the fact that these are skilled workers and that these workers need to make a living, you will quickly appreciate the labor costs alone associated with making this product.

We encourage you to do the math on your own so that you may appreciate that these gloves are being sold at a good value to you the customer.

Often, it is desired from a management point of view to reduce the number glove sizes available so that the logistics workload and the initial procurement cost are minimized. However, this type of thinking can hurt the end user performance and lead to increased costs in the long run.

Take for example the Light Duty Glove and the Intermediate Cold Wet Glove. Both of these gloves are well known for their BULKY fit and are offered in only five sizes. These gloves are intended to fit the 5th percentile female to the 95 percentile male hand size for adults. The limited number of sizes available and the non-stretch properties of the materials create the necessity for a bulky fitting glove. It is often commented that these gloves have durability because they are seldom worn. Also, in conversations with military leaders, we have learned that many hand injuries involving scrapes and cuts go unreported. This is a real problem.

Alternatively, many military personnel are wearing the glove designed for Pilots – the Summer Flyers Glove. This is one of the few gloves in the system that has more size choices available leading to a better fit. Also, it is made of stretch materials. However, it is well known that this glove is NOT DURABLE for non-pilot activities and often 2-3 pairs are purchased to equip a soldier for a combat mission. Also, there is little weather protection afforded by this glove leading to the need to purchase an additional style of hand wear for deployment.

In summary, the number of glove sizes available significantly impacts the fit of the glove. The ideal number of glove sizes depends on the glove style and the materials used in the construction. Note that when the glove doesn’t fit well, it will seldom be worn, thus increasing the chance of hand injuries. Also, it is learned that a well fitting glove is worn often.

You are encouraged to make sure the gloves purchased are well fitting and durable or you (or the end users) may be purchasing several pairs before the mission is complete.